South Africa's 'Worst Rapist' Hangs Himself

A man suspected of being South Africa's worst serial rapist has been found dead in his prison cell hours before the start of his trial.

Sifiso Makhubo, 42, was due to face charges including the sexual assault of 34 children.

He was accused of 122 charges in total - covering murder, rape, kidnap, robbery and attempted murder by infecting his victims with HIV.

Makhubo is believed to have hanged himself with a blanket in his prison cell. The authorities are investigating the circumstances of his death.

He had appeared in court on Monday when his lawyer Advocate Livingstone Makuna said he had appeared "confident".

Prisons spokesman Ofentse Morwane told the news agency AFP: "According to our preliminary investigation, he committed suicide at night using a piece of blanket."

Local television station ENCA said some victims had already arrived at court and were waiting for the trial to begin, unaware that he had committed suicide.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Phindi Louw told reporters she was disappointed the victims of a "monstrous perpetrator" would not get closure.

"A lot of effort has gone into preparing the case. I feel extremely sad for the victims," she said.

However, campaigners said there would be relief that no-one would now have to give evidence at the trial.

South Africa is inured to some of the world's highest levels of sexual violence but the horrific nature and breadth of Makhubo's crimes had shocked the country.

The 42-year-old allegedly committed the crimes in the Kathorus, a township east of Johannesburg, from 2006 until 2011 when he was captured.                

He was arrested after a victim recognised him and notified police.            

Prosecutors confirmed Makhubo had previously been convicted, but did not give further details.              

With nearly 65,000 attacks a year, South Africa has one of the highest incidences of reported rape in the world. In 2012, more than 25,000 were assaults on children.

In 2010, the country recorded 132.4 cases of reported rape per 100,000 people - compared to 27.3 in the US or 2.1 in Uganda, although reporting rates and definitions of rape vary by country.

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Car Hackers 'Take Control' Of Toyota Prius

Programmers claim they have "hacked" into a car's computer system and taken control of some of the vehicle's most important functions.

Charlie Miller, a security engineer at Twitter, and Chris Valasek, who works at security firm IOActive, said they were able to steer a Toyota Prius and switch off its brakes by installing a device under the wheel.

They said the gadget could be placed in the car by anyone with a "brief moment of physical access" and claimed that once key safety features had been reprogrammed, the box could be disconnected, leaving no evidence that the vehicle had been hacked.

"We had full control of braking," Mr Valasek said. "We disengaged the brakes so if you were going slow and tried to press them, they wouldn't work.

"We could turn the headlamps on and off and honk the horn. We had control of many aspects of the automobile."

The research comes at a time when manufacturers are installing increasingly complicated computer systems, offering drivers access to web services.

Some companies are also experimenting with self-drive technology pioneered by the likes of Google.

However, a spokesman for Toyota told Sky News it was impossible to gain access to its cars' systems remotely and said the computers it uses are "robust and secure".

He said: "The demonstration involved physically connecting a laptop scan tool to the on board diagnostic (OBD II) port and using it to control or override certain functions. A portion of the instrument panel was removed to enable this.

"Altered control can only be made when the device is connected. After it is disconnected, the car functions normally.

"We don't consider that to be hacking in the sense of creating unexpected behaviour because the device must be connected. The presence of a laptop or other device connected to the OBD II port would be apparent.

"Our focus, and that of the entire automotive industry, is to prevent hacking into a vehicle's control system from a remote or wireless device outside of the vehicle.

"Toyota has developed very strict and effective firewall technology against such remote and wireless services.

"We continue to try to hack our systems and have a considerable investment in state of the art electromagnetic R&D facilities. We believe our systems are robust and secure."

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US Will Not Seek Death Penalty For Snowden

Former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden would not face the death penalty for leaking secret information on surveillance programmes, the Attorney General has said.

In a letter dated July 23, Eric Holder said the criminal charges the ex-NSA worker faces do not carry the death penalty and that the US would not seek it even if Snowden is charged with additional crimes that were eligible for it.

Mr Holder said the letter follows reports that Snowden has filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia on the grounds that if he were returned to the US he would be tortured and face capital punishment.

The letter was sent to Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov, Russian minister of justice.

In it, Mr Holder said: "I can report that the US is prepared to provide to the Russian government the following assurances regarding the treatment Mr Snowden would face upon return to the United States.

"First, the US would not seek the death penalty for Mr Snowden should he return to the US. Mr Snowden will not be tortured. Torture is unlawful in the US."

The letter added that he would be brought before a civilian court and would receive "all the protections that US law provides".

Whistleblower Snowden, who leaked information on largely secret electronic surveillance programmes, remains in a transit area at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after travelling there from Hong Kong last month.

His passport has been revoked, but Mr Holder said he could still travel out of Russia because he remains a US citizen and is eligible for a limited validity passport which would allow him to fly directly to the US.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Snowden can only be granted sanctuary in Russia if he stops actions that harm the US.

He has been offered asylum by three Latin American countries, but none of them is reachable by a direct flight from Moscow.

Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, said in an interview on NBC's Today show that some members of US Congress were trying to "demonise" his son.

He said politicians should be more focused on whether the NSA's collection of the phone records of millions of Americans is constitutional.

The House voted 217-205 on Wednesday to keep the NSA surveillance programme running.

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Lost Pigeon Rescued By Navy In Atlantic Ocean

A racing pigeon which got lost at sea is to be reunited with her owner after she was saved 300 miles (483km) out in the Atlantic Ocean by the crew of a Royal Navy frigate.

The exhausted bird was wrongly named Paul by crew members when she landed on the deck of HMS Somerset a week ago.

Since then she has been fed and watered and received much attention from the 185 men and women on board.

Leading Seaman William Hughes, an ex-pigeon fancier, caught the bird, checked it over and discovered that it was in fact female.

He said: "It was a stroke of luck that Paul found Somerset. "She will certainly have a few sea stories to tell her fellow pigeons."

Leading Seaman William Hughes with 'Paul' on the deck of HMS Somerset

Lieutenant Mark Gilbert, the ship's flight commander, said: "The Royal Navy is used to saving life at sea and providing assistance to those in need. Caring for a lost pigeon seems like a natural extension to our versatile capability."

The bird's ID ring allowed the crew to track down owner Gil Hartshorn, 75, from Redcar, Cleveland, who said she had been released for a cross-Channel race from France.

Mr Hartshorn, a retired welder, will be reunited with the pigeon next week when Leading Seaman Hughes goes on leave in the Midlands.

Paul regained her strength by eating breakfast cereal and staying in a makeshift coop alongside a Merlin helicopter in the frigate's hangar.

Mr Hartshorn said: "I would like to say thank you to the crew of HMS Somerset for looking after my distressed pigeon, particularly the captain who agreed to have a lost soul on board until the ship returned alongside."

He said the bird will now be retired from racing, adding: "I'd be too worried she would land on the next Royal Navy warship and I'd never see her again.

"The Navy have done such a good job of looking after her."

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Ohio Kidnapper Ariel Castro Accepts Plea Deal

The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade has agreed to plead guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

In exchange, prosecutors recommend Ariel Castro be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years.

Castro was in court on Friday morning to enter the guilty plea.

When asked if he understood he would never be released from prison, Castro said: "I do understand that, your honour."

Castro kidnapped Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight

He added: "I knew I was pretty much going to get the book thrown at me."

Castro was far more interactive than in previous court appearances when he mostly kept his head down and eyes closed.

During Friday's hearing, he answered the judge's questions in a clear, intelligible voice, saying he understood the proceedings and that he would never be released from prison.

Castro, who was born in Puerto Rico, said he could read and understand English well but had trouble with comprehension.

The women were held hostage for nearly a decade in Castro's home

"My addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll on my mind," Castro told judge Michael Russo.

He later said he had been a sexual abuse victim as a child, but the judge cut him off, telling Castro he would have an opportunity to speak at his sentencing hearing.

The plea deal comes more than a month after a statement issued on behalf of the women said they were "hopeful for a just and prompt resolution" and had "great faith in the prosecutor's office and the court".

Castro, 53, had been scheduled to go on trial on August 5, charged with 977 offences.

News of the long-missing women's escape electrified the city of Clevelend

They included two counts of aggravated murder related to accusations that he punched and starved one woman until she miscarried.

The former school bus driver also was charged with hundreds of counts of kidnapping and rape, plus assault and other counts.

He was accused of repeatedly restraining the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van.

Flanked by her sister, Amanda Berry with her daughter after their release

The charges alleged Castro assaulted one woman with a vacuum cord around her neck when she tried to escape.

The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro, who remained friends with the family of one of the women and even attended vigils over the years marking her disappearance.

The women escaped from Castro's house on May 6 when one of them kicked out part of a door and called to neighbours for help.

Castro was arrested within hours and has remained behind bars.

News that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had been found alive electrified the Cleveland area, where two of them were household names after years of searches, publicity and vigils.

Castro fathered a six-year-old daughter with Miss Berry, authorities said.

They allege that on the day the child was born, Christmas 2006, Castro raped one of the other women, who had helped deliver the baby.

Miss Berry told authorities that she, her child and the other women never saw a doctor during their captivity.

Miss Knight said her five pregnancies ended after Castro starved and repeatedly punched her.

The three women recently appeared in an online video thanking the public for their support. They otherwise have tried to stay out of sight and have appealed for privacy.

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'Reckless' Train Crash Driver Held By Police

Police have formally detained the driver of a train that derailed in northwestern Spain, killing at least 78 passengers and injuring another 130.

The National Police Chief for the Galicia region, Jaime Iglesias, said driver Francisco Jose Garzon Amo was arrested in the hospital where he is recovering.

Mr Iglesias said Garzon would be questioned "as a suspect for a crime linked to the cause of the accident".

Asked at a news conference in Santiago de Compostela why the driver was being detained, Mr Iglesias added: "For recklessness."

Mr Garzon boasted about speeding on his Facebook page

The 52-year-old driver is being guarded by police and cannot yet testify because of his medical condition, the police chief said.

He did not have any further details of his state of health but said it could delay his statement.

Sky News understands Garzon's condition is not serious. Pictures and video footage have emerged of him being led away from the crash scene with his head covered in blood while other images show the engine cabin was largely intact compared to the rest of the train.

Police also said the number of dead, yesterday thought to be 80, has been reduced to 78 as forensic science units continue to identify remains.

The train's black box recorder has been retrieved from the wreckage. Early indications suggested the train may have been travelling at more than twice the speed limit at the time of the crash on Wednesday night.

An official inspects the train's engine

The eight-carriage train came off the tracks on a bend, hit a wall and caught fire just outside the pilgrimage destination Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

The train entered the bend at 190km per hour (120mph), according to local media reports. The speed limit on the curve was 80km per hour (50mph).

As the investigation turned its focus more and more towards human error, the Spanish press revealed that immediately after the derailment Garzon allegedly said to officials at the railway station 3km from the crash: "I ****** up, I want to die. So many people dead, so many people dead."

Witnesses are also reported to have heard the driver shout into a phone: "I've derailed! What do I do?"

And as his country mourned, it emerged that Garzon is thought to have boasted on his Facebook page about how fast he was driving a train in March last year.

Staff from a hospital treating the injured hold a minute's silence

The driver posted a picture of a train speedometer at 200km per hour (124mph) on the social networking site. His Facebook page has since been blocked.

"What a blast it would be to go parallel with the Guardia Civil (Spanish police) and go past them triggering the radar. Haha what a fine for Renfe (Spanish rail operator) haha," he wrote on what is believed to be his Facebook page.

There was a second driver on the train, but it is believed Garzon was the only driver at the time.

He is understood to have taken control of the train from a second driver about 65 miles (104km) south of Santiago de Compostela.

According to reports, one of the drivers realised what was about to happen before the crash and made a desperate call to Renfe ahead of the bend, saying: "I'm going at 190km per hour, I'm going to derail."

A truck transports a carriage away from the scene of the crash

In a second call to Renfe after the accident, the driver explained that he was trapped in the train.

"We are human, we are human," he is reported to have said. "I hope there are no dead because they would fall on my conscience."

Two investigations are being carried out into the catastrophe - one to look into possible failings by the driver and the other to examine the train's in-built speed regulation systems and see if it was a technical malfunction that meant the driver was not warned of the reduced speed limit around the bend.

Many questions remain unanswered about what went wrong, with some experts claiming that high speed alone would not explain the crash and speculation that the train's braking systems might have failed.

Reporting from the scene, Sky News Europe Correspondent Robert Nisbet said investigators would be focusing on the statements made by the driver immediately after the derailment.

An aerial view of the carnage caused by the derailment

Nisbet pointed to further reports from Spanish media suggesting the driver had told officials at Santiago de Compostela train station that an electronic warning signal was flashing inside the driver's cabin to indicate he was going too fast.

"He is said to have pressed a button to acknowledge the warning but still apparently did not slow down," Nisbet said.

State train company Renfe said Garzon had been at the firm for 30 years and he had been driving trains for more than a decade.

He became an assistant driver in 2000 and a fully qualified driver in 2003.

Garzon is understood to have been on the Madrid to Ferrol service, on which the crash happened, for a year, after undergoing training specific to that line.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air

Meanwhile, with 72 of the 78 dead so far identified, medical experts are continuing to try to identify the six remaining victims as distraught families continue to wait for news about their loved ones.

DNA tests are expected to be carried out on those with catastrophic injuries, with results available in the coming days.

The victims of the crash included a US citizen and a Mexican. At least one British citizen and four children were among the 130 people injured. Just over 30 of those in hospital are still critically ill.

Spanish newspaper El Pais has revealed details of a dramatic WhatsApp conversation between one of the survivors trapped in the train wreck and her husband.

At 8.45pm local time, the woman sent messages saying she had been in an accident and was "crushed".

Relatives of passengers on the train wait for news of their loved ones

After what her husband described as "the longest five minutes of my life", she sent another message saying "I'm safe".

The 46-year-old woman escaped with minor injuries to her legs and has already been discharged from hospital.  

Video footage from a security camera showed the train, which had 247 people on board, hurtling into a concrete wall at the side of the track.

The impact was so huge one carriage flew several metres into the air and landed on the other side of a concrete barrier.

The Alvia 730 series train was travelling from Madrid to the port city of Ferrol when it crashed about 8.40pm local time - 7.40pm UK time - on Wednesday.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visits the scene of the crash

The crash occurred on the eve of a major Christian religious festival honouring St James, the disciple of Jesus whose remains are said to rest in a shrine.

Many of the dead or injured were believed to be Catholic pilgrims converging on the city.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was born in Santiago de Compostela, visited the scene of the crash on Thursday and declared three days of official mourning across the country.

King Juan Carlos also visited one of the hospitals where many passengers are being treated.

Local reaction to the crash has been such that an appeal for blood donations resulted in hospitals having to turn people away because they could not cope with the demand.

Many local hotels are also offering free rooms to relatives of those involved.

The train crash is the worst Spain has experienced since a three-train accident in a tunnel in the northern Leon province in 1944.

Due to heavy censorship at the time, the exact death toll for the Torre del Bierzo disaster has never been established.

The official figure was given as 78 dead, but it is thought that as many as 250 could have been killed.

There was another serious accident in Spain in 1972 when a Madrid to Cadiz express collided head-on with a local train on the outskirts of Seville.

A total of 77 people died, with more than 100 injured.

The latest crash - one of the worst ever in Europe - comes less than two weeks after six people were killed and scores injured in a train crash just south of Paris.

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Sasha Marsden: Barman Guilty Of Teen's Murder

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

A barman has been found guilty of killing teenager Sasha Marsden, whose partially burned body was found in a Blackpool alleyway.

David Minto, described by police as "cold, callous and evil", sexually assaulted the youngster before stabbing her 58 times with a kitchen knife.

She suffered such serious injuries that her body, which was found wrapped in carpet underlay and bin liners, had to be identified using DNA from her toothbrush.

Sasha was just 16 years old and had been studying childcare at a local college.

However, her plan to take up a part-time cleaning job in a Blackpool hotel to earn some extra money ultimately cost her her life. 

Minto, who worked at the Grafton House Hotel, owned by his girlfriend and her mother, first met Sasha through a mutual acquaintance on a night out.

The 23-year-old contacted her on Facebook, where his online name was David "Demon" Minto, and used the promise of part-time work to lure her to her death.

He told Sasha to come to the hotel on a day when he knew it would be empty.

After sexually assaulting and stabbing her, mainly in the face and neck, he tried to destroy the evidence by setting her body on fire.

The prosecution at the trial in Preston said she was found with several defensive wounds, showing she tried to fight for her life.

Minto claimed he had consensual sex with the teenager and said her blood was on his clothes because she had a nose bleed.

He claimed she left the hotel alive but the jury refused to believe him and found him guilty of murder.

Sasha's mother Jayne Marsden said:  "For his sexual gratification he's robbed us of saying goodbye to her. But he's also robbed us of her 18th birthday, her 21st birthday and her future. He's just robbed us of everything. I can never forgive him. Never."

Detective Superintendent Andy Murphy, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: "After our dealings with Minto, I would describe him as cold, callous, and evil.

"He's put Sasha's family through a real ordeal by pleading not guilty and taking this to trial.

"But the family have been brave and very dignified, appearing in court every day to hear the terrible evidence about what happened to their daughter."

More follows...

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Man Murdered Wife With Wedding Gift Knives

A man who stabbed his wife to death in a crowded street after arming himself with knives given to them as a wedding present has been found guilty of murder.

Ty Medland, 26, used one of four knives he concealed on himself to launch a "frenzied attack" on 24-year-old Samantha Medland in central Brighton, East Sussex.

Before the attack, Medland uploaded a series of graphic pictures and videos of the couple having sex to his Facebook page.

A message he wrote accompanying the link referred to Mrs Medland as "the cheating, lying, unloyal whore who destroyed everything I loved and believe in".

A two-week trial at Lewes Crown Court heard she had become close to another man and had rebuffed her husband's repeated attempts to patch up their marriage.

Medland, described as a "petulant, self-centred man" incapable of dealing with rejection, knifed her to death as she collected belongings from him near her workplace in Queen Square, Brighton, on February 17.

Paramedics tried in vain to revive his wife, who suffered multiple stab wounds to her scalp, forehead, cheeks, neck, abdomen and back.

Medland, of Peacehaven, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but was convicted of murder after six hours of deliberation by the jury.

He showed no emotion as the verdict was announced.

Adjourning sentencing until Monday, Judge Anthony Scott-Gall told the jury: "You have convicted the defendant on the most compelling and overwhelming evidence.

"It was really the most ghastly killing. I'm sure you will never forget it."

He said Medland faces life imprisonment with a minimum term of at least 25 years.

Medland had met his wife in central Brighton earlier in the day to hand over her belongings but forgot some items, including a computer hard drive with pictures and personal documents.

As he travelled on the bus to meet her for a second time, he texted some friends.

In one message, he wrote: "The only thing I want right now is murder/suicide."

The court heard that Medland was aware of her growing bond with another man because he had accessed her Facebook account.

In a statement, Mrs Medland's mother, Amelia Shah, said: "No-one should outlive their children. The actions of Ty Medland have caused devastation and heartbreak to my family."

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Egypt: Two Die During Alexandria Clashes

Two people have been killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi, according to the country's MENA news agency.

The deaths took place in Egypt's second biggest city of Alexandria, with reports that 19 people have also been injured there.

A deeply polarised Egypt was braced for violence ahead of the two mass rallies, called by the army and the Islamists who back Mr Morsi.

Army chief General Abdel Fattah al Sisi summoned Egyptians to the streets in an intended turning point in its confrontation with followers of Mr Morsi, the elected leader the military removed on July 3.

Mr Sisi said he wanted Egyptians to give the military a "mandate" to take the necessary measures against "violence and terrorism".

It comes as the country's state news agency reported Mr Morsi had been detained over accusations he killed soldiers and conspired with the Palestinian group Hamas.

The claims were dismissed as "ridiculous" by his Muslim Brotherhood party, which has been camped out at street vigils calling for his reinstatement.

Rallies in Alexandria turned violent with stones hurled and running battles

An army official said the military had given the party a Saturday deadline to end its resistance and join a military-set roadmap to fresh elections.

But the Brotherhood says it wants nothing to do with the army's transition plan and has called its own crowds out for counter-demonstrations in a "day to remove the coup".

Mr Morsi has been in military detention at an undisclosed location since he was overthrown.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon has called on the military to free Mr Morsi and other Islamic Brotherhood leaders, said deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey.

Mr Ban also says he "urges all sides to act with maximum restraint" during the demonstrations.

Mr Sisi delivered his call in full military uniform and dark sunglasses

Both the army and the Muslim Brotherhood dramatically escalated rhetoric in the lead-up to the rallies, following a month of clashes in which about 200 people, mainly supporters of Mr Morsi, have died.

The army has threatened to "turn its guns" on those who use violence.

In a Facebook post, the army said it will not "turn its guns against its people, but it will turn them against black violence and terrorism which has no religion or nation".

An army official told Reuters: "We will not initiate any move, but will definitely react harshly against any calls for violence or black terrorism from Brotherhood leaders or their supporters."

The main anti-Morsi youth protest group, which has backed the army, said it would go to the streets to "cleanse Egypt".

Thousands have been holding vigils calling for Mr Morsi's reinstatement

The Muslim Brotherhood accused the army of pushing the nation towards civil war and committing a crime worse than destroying Islam's holiest site.

The Brotherhood also claims the authorities have been stirring up the violence to justify their crackdown.

The rallies are expected to peak after the evening prayer marking the end of the day's Ramadan fast.

Police said they were planning large-scale reinforcements and the Interior Ministry said it would undertake "unprecedented measures to protect citizens and their property".

The head of the army, Mr Sisi, was appointed by Mr Morsi in a bid by the president to rein in Egypt's all-powerful military.

Anti-Morsi protesters with a poster of Mr Sisi

But Mr Sisi turned against him after a year in which the Egyptian economy floundered and support for Mr Morsi slumped.

Posters of the general have since appeared in shops and stalls across Cairo.

The US - which has close ties with Egypt's military - said it was "very concerned" by Mr Sisi's call for mass rallies.

After Mr Sisi's comments, the US announced it would suspend a delivery of F-16 warplanes.

The country remains deeply split over Mr Morsi's ousting.

The Brotherhood accuses the army of ejecting a democratically elected leader in a long-planned coup, while its opponents say the army responded to the will of the people.

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Stuart Hall Has Prison Sentence Doubled

Disgraced former broadcaster Stuart Hall's 15-month jail sentence for sex offences has been doubled to 30 months by Court of Appeal judges.

At the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge said Hall "got away with it" for decades and had "lived a lie for more than half of his life".

Attorney General Dominic Grieve had earlier told the packed courtroom: "The total sentence of 15 months' imprisonment ... failed adequately to reflect the gravity of the totality of the offences, and the public concern about offences of this nature.

Dominic Grieve argued Hall's sentence did not reflect public concern

"Some of the sentences should have been made to run consecutively, so that the total sentence passed reflected the culpability of the offender, the harm caused and to deter others."

After the verdict, Mr Grieve said: "I asked the court to consider the multiple offending by Stuart Hall over a prolonged period of time which involved numerous victims.

"I also asked that the court take into account the breaches of trust in this case - Hall carried out some of these offences in places where the victims were entitled to feel safe, he used his celebrity status to invite them to attend the BBC, and he also displayed an element of planning and premeditation".

Hall, 83, who appeared in court via video link, was convicted of sexually assaulting several girls the youngest of whom was nine. The former It's A Knockout presenter was sentenced to 15-months in June.

Hall's QC Crispin Aylett had argued there was "nothing wrong" with the sentence imposed. He told the court: "If the object was to see this man punished, disgraced and financially ruined then all of that has been more than achieved."

The former broadcaster was jailed in June for sexual assault

The former broadcaster, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, admitted 14 counts of indecent assault between 1967 and 1987.

Hall directly exploited his role as a popular BBC presenter to target four of his victims, while he assaulted another four on the pretence of giving elocution lessons to them at his home.

Before entering his guilty plea in April, he had made a public pronouncement on the steps of a court, describing all the claims against him as "cruel, pernicious and spurious".

Hall was arrested and subsequently charged on December 5 last year with indecently assaulting three young girls.

More women came forward as a result of publicity and he was rearrested before he later admitted sexual offences relating to 13 victims.

Judge Russell told Hall: "Several of these cases reveal an abuse of the trust placed in you by the parents of these children but all of them reveal an abuse of power by you because your status gave you an influence and standing which you abused."

The judge said Hall would have received 20 months after a trial but he reduced the sentence to reflect his guilty pleas.

At Hall's original sentencing, Mr Aylett said that 27 years had passed since the last offence and the presenter had led an "unblemished" life over those years.

The length of the jail term was immediately criticised as "unduly lenient" by shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry.

Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour party, also added to calls for the sentence to be referred.

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Seven Saved By 'Send For Help' Sand Message

Seven people stranded on a beach were rescued after a walker on a cliff top spotted their "send for help" message which they had written in the sand.

The group had travelled around Stepper Point in Cornwall to a beach at Butter Hole in a sailing dinghy and small rigid inflatable boat for a picnic.

Conditions were perfect until the tide started coming in and the waves increased to a two-metre swell, trapping the four adults and three children on the beach.

No-one in the party had a radio, or a mobile phone reception, so they resorted to writing a distress call in the sand.

It was luckily spotted by a walker on the cliff top who raised the alarm.

A crew of volunteers at Rock RNLI launched at 3.21pm yesterday, with the coastguard team from Padstow and the Padstow RNLI all-weather lifeboat later called to help.

Volunteer Neil Davis managed to get colleague Leon Burt onshore to help transfer one of the adults and all of the children to the lifeboat, before transferring them to a nearby tripping boat, the Ocean Voyager.

They then returned to rescue the three remaining adults, who were transferred to the Padstow RNLI all-weather lifeboat.

The group was then taken back to Padstow, while the Rock RNLI team recovered their Wayfarer dingy and small rigid inflatable boat.

Mike Hewitt, the RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager at Rock, said: "This was a very difficult rescue carried out with great skill and bravery.

"There was the ever present threat of the lifeboat being swamped or capsized by the dumping seas, but using their RNLI training our crew worked together to recover all the people and then their boats.

"The group made a very sensible decision not to try launching their boats into the building seas but they were lucky that a passing walker noticed the message calling for help written in the sand and I would remind people that it's important to have a suitable means of contacting someone when going to sea.

"Don't assume you will have a mobile phone signal when you go to a beach by water so take a VHF radio.

"Be aware of local conditions too. The group left in near perfect conditions but big waves can suddenly develop around here when the tide starts to come in and this can catch you out," he added.

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Tug-Of-Love Mother 'Acted On Instinct'

A mother who acted on "maternal instinct" when she abducted four of her children has been cleared of breaching a court order to hand them back to her ex-husband.

Jennifer Jones, 46, faced contempt proceedings when she failed to send the children to Spain to live with their father, Spanish army officer Tomas Palacin Cambra.

But she argued her children's behaviour made it impossible to comply with the order and she did not do it "deliberately".

Lawyers had argued she should be penalised for failing to hand the children over in Cardiff in October, but Ms Jones resisted the contempt application at a hearing in London.

The judge was told that a Spanish court had ordered that following the break-up of her marriage the four children should stay with their father in Spain.

Tomas Palacin Cambra, 53, with the couple's children

He heard that they had been visiting their mother when she allegedly breached the order.

The case hit the headlines last October when Ms Jones and the four children - Jessica, now 15, Tomas, now 13, Eva, now 10, and David, now eight - disappeared.

They were all found safe and well within days after a public appeal for help.

Government legal advisers were asked to consider whether contempt proceedings should be brought against Ms Jones, who argued that two of her children were traumatised and had run to the local police station.

"Those children didn't want to go back," Ms Jones told the court. "All I knew was that my daughter and my son had run away and escaped. I was very concerned about my children.

"I was so frightened because I knew I was supposed to be in Cardiff. I was going through a lot of emotions. As a mother you go by your instincts".

The maximum penalty Ms Jones faced for being in contempt was two years' imprisonment.

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Brazil: Shark Attack Kills Teenage Tourist

An 18-year-old tourist has died after being attacked by a shark while swimming off a popular beach in Brazil.

Bruna Gobbi was around waist deep in the sea at Boa Viagem, Recife, when the animal bit into her left leg, according to local news website Correio.

Video filmed from the beach shows a splash of water before the area she was swimming in turns red.

Bruna Gobbi died after doctors amputated most of her left leg

The footage then shows her being brought ashore with serious injuries to the lower part of her left leg. Much of her skin is missing, although her foot is still attached.

Ms Gobbi was taken to a local hospital, but died after surgery to amputate her leg around 15cm above the knee.

The teenager, from Sao Paolo, was on a family holiday to Recife and was on the beach with her mum, grandfather and cousins - one of whom, Daniele, was in the sea when Ms Gobbi was attacked.

"The rescuers came in a matter of five minutes but to us it felt like five years," she told Globo TV.

Signs warning swimmers of previous shark attacks are displayed along the length of the beach and Ms Gobbi had been warned about the dangers of swimming in the sea, the TV station reported.

It said local authorities have asked the Brazilian government to ban swimming in areas prone to shark attacks.

According to the government agency Comite Estadual de Monitoramento de Incidentes com Tubaroes, there have been 21 shark attacks -10 of them fatal - in Boa Viagem since 1992.

Ms Gobbi is thought to be the first woman killed by a shark since the records began.

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Edward Snowden 'Waiting To Leave Airport'

Edward Snowden has not yet received the document which is expected to allow him to leave a Moscow airport, according to his lawyer.

For now, he will remain in the transit zone where he has been holed up for the past month.

"As of today, this document has not yet been given (to him)," lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told Russian television after meeting with Snowden.

Mr Kucherena said the process was being drawn out as this was the "first such situation in Russia".

Despite the delay, it is expected that the former NSA contractor will eventually be given authorisation to get through passport control, Sky News' Moscow correspondent Katie Stallard said.

The whistleblower, who leaked details of US security agency programmes targeting online and phone communications, applied for temporary asylum in Russia last week.

It is thought that he wants to move to an address in Moscow city centre while his application is considered.

Mr Kucherena told the media that Snowden would be staying put for now

"What they were expecting [today] was to get some sort of temporary document that would say he was formally being considered for asylum, that he can cross the Russian border while that happens," said Sky News' Katie Stallard.

"For whatever reason - the lawyer is blaming bureaucracy - that hasn't happened today, so all he can tell him is he has to stay there.

"He says he hopes it will be resolved in the nearest future. But that is as specific as he can be."

Mr Snowden's lawyer said he gave him some jeans, T-shirts and a copy of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment during their meeting.

He also said that Snowden had no immediate plans to leave the country and "intends to stay in Russia [and] study Russian culture".

President Vladimir Putin, mindful of Russia's strained relations with the US, has stated that Snowden can only be granted asylum if he stops leaking secrets.

Snowden submitted a handwritten asylum request

The asylum decision could even be delayed until after he meets President Obama at a summit in Moscow in early September.

The 30-year-old had been considering going to South America but seemed to be trapped in the airport's transit area after the US revoked his passport.

Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua all said they would grant him political asylum but none is reachable by direct commercial flight from Moscow.

Snowden leaked details of top-secret US surveillance programmes - giving details of the monitoring of phone calls and internet data from companies such as Google and Facebook - to The Guardian and Washington Post.

He now faces espionage charges in America.

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Jane Austen To Be On £10 Notes From 2017

The novelist Jane Austen will be the new face of £10 notes from 2017, the Bank of England has said as the design was revealed.

Campaigners hailed the move as "a brilliant day for women".

Austen, who wrote the aptly titled Persuasion, often poked gentle fun at the establishment in her books and highlighted the frustrations of women faced by barriers in society.

A 35,000-name petition had been presented to the Bank amid criticisms that, with Sir Winston Churchill likely to take the place of social reformer Elizabeth Fry on the £5 note as early as 2016, there would be no female figures on UK currency apart from the Queen.

Austen, who is also famous for penning the likes of Pride and Prejudice and Emma, was described last month as a "candidate" to replace Charles Darwin on the £10 note. At the time she was only referred to by the Bank as "waiting in the wings".

Following a campaign backed by dozens of MPs, the Bank has also announced that it is reviewing the way people are chosen to feature on banknotes given that its choices must "command respect and legitimacy".

The public is being invited to email suggestions of how it could improve the way it selects historical figures.

The current design for the Churchill £5 note, due to be introduced in 2016

Asked by Sky's Rhiannon Mills about the influence of the campaign on the decision, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said: "We listened to those concerns and I'll be candid, that affected the timing of the decision, but the substance of the decision? Absolutely not.

"Jane Austen is a great choice ... she's one of the greatest figures in English literature.

"The timing was affected because there was a misimpression of the possibility of there being no women on our banknotes.

"We understood those concerns and it was important to act on it."

Freelance journalist Caroline Criado-Perez, who set up the petition on campaign site Change.org, said: "Without this campaign, without the 35,000 people who signed our Change.org petition, the Bank of England would have unthinkingly airbrushed women out of history.

"To hear Jane Austen confirmed is fantastic, but to hear the process will be comprehensively reviewed is even better."

Current criteria used for selecting banknotes include looking at whether the person has made a lasting contribution which is universally recognised and making sure that the choice is not controversial.

The Governor takes the final decision on the advice of Bank officials, although members of the public have a say in the early stages of the process and are invited to submit suggestions.

The new Austen note design features the quote: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!" from snobbish Pride And Prejudice character Caroline Bingley.

The banknote also shows a portrait of the author which was adapted from a sketch drawn by her sister Cassandra, as well as an image of Godmersham Park, the home of Austen's brother which was said to have inspired much of her work.

Austen was born in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, but, despite her novels never going out of print, she achieved relatively little recognition during her lifetime.

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Fire Deaths: Man Guilty Of Killing Four Siblings

The family of four siblings killed in a house fire have welcomed the conviction of a man found guilty of starting a fire in a wardrobe.

Four-year-old twins Holly and Ella Smith and their two-year-old brother Jordan were asleep as the blaze took hold in Freckleton, Lancashire, while elder brother Reece, 19, was overcome by fumes as he went upstairs to try to rescue them.

All four died from the effects of smoke inhalation following the blaze on January 7 last year.

Dyson Allen, 19, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter by a jury at Preston Crown Court today. He was cleared of their murders.

Reece Smith, 19, twins Holly and Ella, four, and Jordan, two

The conviction was welcomed by mother Michelle Smith, Reece's father Martin Goulding and the rest of the family,

A statement read outside court by DC Ian McVittie said: "We are pleased that Dyson Allen has been convicted of the manslaughter of our beautiful children Reece, Holly, Ella and Jordan.

"We'll never know the reason why our children were taken from us but even knowing the answer won't bring them back.

"He had the chance to explain his actions to the police and the court but he lied from the very beginning."

They thanked the emergency services and police adding: "Finally though, we would like to pay tribute to Reece who paid the ultimate price for trying to rescue his brother and sisters and for that we will be eternally grateful and proud."

In court members of the victims' family shouted "yes" in tears as the jury foreman returned each guilty verdict on the manslaughter counts.

The aftermath of the house fire that left four siblings dead

The defendant held his hands over his eyes in shock and then wept as he leaned  forward.

Mr Justice Males told the court: "There must be no doubt that it is inevitable there will be a substantial prison sentence."

Allen was the only other person who was upstairs at the dormer bungalow when the fire broke out, said the Crown.

A birthday party was being held for the children's mother, Michelle Smith, at the address on the night of the fire.

The fatal fire began inside a wardrobe in the bedroom shared by the three young children and their mother.

Allen was a regular visitor  to the house and spent most of the night of January 7 in the second upstairs bedroom, according to those who were in the house, said prosecutor Neil Flewitt QC.

Ms Smith, 37, said she said remembered the lights going off and then the defendant jumped down the stairs and shouted "Fire" before he ran through the kitchen and out of the back door.

An expert concluded the fire started in hanging clothes

Ms Smith told police that smoke alarms had been had taken down by Reece in the days before the fire because one or both of them kept making beeping noises.

The court heard the recollection of most of the witnesses who attended the party was "affected to some extent by drink and in some cases by drugs in the form of cannabis".

It could be established though that the first 999 call to report a fire was made at 11.20pm by a neighbour.

And that some time after 10.45pm one of the family friends, who was sober, went up to the bedroom where Allen was.

He said the defendant appeared "drunk and stoned" after Allen had earlier told him was going to make a mix for a cannabis "bong". When he returned downstairs there was a loud bang shortly after and all the lights in the house went off.

The ruins of the bedroom in which the siblings died

In a witness statement given to police in the early hours of January 8 Allen claimed had discovered the fire and raised the alarm but never admitted his involvement.

He said he told Reece there was a fire and to "get those kids out".

The court heard that Reece was heard kicking at the door to the children's bedroom as others escaped from the property.

Mr Flewitt told the jury that several "extremely detailed investigations" had taken place into the cause of the fire and the unanimous view of the experts was that it was started deliberately.

One expert concluded the fire started in the hanging clothes in the wardrobe,and the most likely source of ignition was a naked flame.

The upper floor of the dormer bungalow was badly damaged by the fire

The fire was detected because of an electrical fault that caused the house electrics to trip out, he continued.

The electrical fault occurred when the fire spread from the wardrobe to a lighting unit fitted to the ceiling of the room, the jury was told.

By that time the fire would have already reached its maximum, said Mr Flewitt.

Forensic evidence showed the three children in the bedroom were likely to have been "incapacitated very quickly" but that Ella and Jordan made attempts to escape.

Sentencing was adjourned until September 27 for the preparation of psychiatric reports.

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Drug Dealer Arranged Fire That Killed Family

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

Two men have been convicted of murdering a man and his two children in a fire at their home two years ago.

Drug dealer Scott Snowden, 38, ordered his 'henchman' Robert Jennings, 50, to pour petrol through the letterbox of 55-year-old Thomas Sharkey's flat in Helensburgh. 

Scott Snowden: found guilty of murdering three members of the same family

Mr Sharkey, his 21-year-old son Thomas and his daughter Bridget, aged eight, were unable to escape the ensuing, ferocious blaze.

The sole survivor of the fire was 48-year-old Angela Sharkey,  Mr Sharkey's wife and the children's mother.

Welcoming the verdict, Mrs Sharkey said in a statement: "Personally, knowing that the people responsible are being prevented from carrying out such a crime again will help. 

"I still struggle to understand why they felt it necessary to do what they did to my innocent children but I will have to learn to live with that."

Robert Jennings: set fire to the Sharkey jome on Snowden's orders

She had earlier told the 11 week-trial at the High Court in Glasgow: "The Saturday before the fire was just a normal day.

"I went to  bed after checking in on Thomas and Bridget. it was something I always did. They were both sleeping. I went to bed and read the next thing I remember is waking up in hospital.

"I wish I'd never gone to sleep that night."

Thomas Sharkey Jnr was a promising golfer who had won a golf scholarship to Georgia Southern University in America when he was studying accountancy. 

Bridget was at primary school and, on the night of the fire, she had gone to the house of a friend for a 'sleepover' but had been unsettled and, fatally, returned home.

The target for the attack had been Thomas Sharkey Snr. He was well-known in his home town and raised thousands of pounds for charity. He was also a drug dealer, as was the man who ordered his murder.

Snowden resented the high-profile that Mr Sharkey enjoyed through his charity work and he was irritated when Mr Sharkey stepped in to sort out a drug debt owed by his niece.

Snowden also believed that Mr Sharkey was setting him up for a drugs bust.

Prior to the fatal fire, Snowden orchestrated a campaign of violence against Mr Sharkey that included burning down his pub in April 2010 and plotting to have him shot at a sports dinner.

The plan for a 'hit' was only cancelled because of tight security at the event.

The Sharkey family home was targeted at 5am on July 24, 2011. 

Snowden went on holiday to Mexico to provide himself with an alibi, having ordered Jennings to carry out the attack.

Angela Sharkey survived the fire that killed husband Thomas and children

He poured petrol through the letter box and the fire that followed created temperatures of up to 900 degrees centigrade inside the three-bedroomed flat.

A key piece of evidence that led to a conviction in the case was the way Jennings walked.

He was captured on CCTV walking towards the Sharkey's flat at Scott Court in Helensburgh.

Detective Constable Jennifer Bell, a CCTV expert who had worked with the Metropolitan Police on the 7/7 bombings, studied the footage several thousand times. 

She then saw Jennings walking down a corridor in a police station and  identified him as the person in the footage because of his distinctive walk.

Other witnesses also said that Jennings had a unusual swaggering kind of walk.

The attack on the Sharkey home also fitted a pattern of behaviour by self-styled gangster Snowden.

In July 2008, a partially constructed house in Helensburgh was set on fire because the builders refused Snowden's offer to provide security.

In June 2009, The Garth Inn pub in Helensburgh was torched after Snowden was refused service.

In September 2009, a yachtsman had his home in Rhu set on fire after he challenged Snowden's competency as a berthmaster at Rhu Marina.

In January 2011, a man had his home set alight after he punched Snowden in a pub.

Judge Lord Matthews deferred sentence on Snowden and Jennings until tomorrow.

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River Wear: Girl Died Trying To Save Friend

One of the two teenage friends who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Wear was trying to save the other, police have said.

Tonibeth Purvis, 15, jumped into the water to save Chloe Fowler, 14, who had entered the river near Fatfield, Washington, Tyne and Wear, to "keep cool" in the heat.

Tributes from friends at the scene

Superintendent Alan Veitch, of Northumbria Police, said: "Chloe went in first, Tonibeth and others went in to help her. Tonibeth got into difficulties and so have the others."

He said Chloe, from Shiney Row, near Sunderland, got into the river of her own free will.

A lot of children jumped in after "to effect a rescue", he said, adding that the survivors had been left traumatised by the tragedy and were receiving counselling.

He said the victims' families were also "completely distraught" and were being supported.

"This is an absolute tragedy and our deepest sympathies are with the families of the two girls," he added.

Chloe's family said in a statement: "Chloe was a beautiful, kind and caring girl and we as a family are devastated by what has happened.

"We would like to thank everyone involved in helping us look for the girls. We would ask that we are given some time and privacy to grieve."

An off-duty policeman and a member of the public also tried to save the girls after they were spotted in the water at around 3pm on Tuesday.

A boy who also tried to help was pulled to safety by the police officer, before around 100 emergency service personnel joined the search and rescue effort.

A family leaves a bunch of flowers by the river

Fire crews joined police specialists including a helicopter, as well as a coastguard team, in the search.

The girls' bodies were recovered by police dive teams last night and taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Paul Cronin, 63, who lives nearby, saw one of the men who had attempted a rescue.

He told Sky Tyne and Wear: "There's a fella, come running up the park in his boxer shorts, screaming, 'can you swim?'

"He dived in from the other side and tried to rescue her, got into difficulties himself. I ran down to the river to the point where he came out ... heard some screaming a little further down."

Tributes were also paid to the two teenagers by friends, with Tonibeth, from Barmston, Washington, being hailed a "hero" in one card left with flowers at the scene.

Joss Richards, 13, in the same school class as Tonibeth, said she was "absolutely lovely", while Aimee Bell, 13, described Chloe as a "fantastic girl".

Rescue teams searched for the girls into the evening

The headteachers of the schools the girls attended also paid tribute.

Oxclose Community Academy head Tony Cunningham, where Chloe was a pupil, said everyone at the school was "devastated".

He added: "Chloe was a popular pupil who had many friends in school. She was determined to succeed in everything she set her mind to and she will be sadly missed by staff and pupils alike."

Tonibeth had moved to Washington School this year, where headteacher John Hallworth said: "She had settled into school life here very well and had already made a good and close group of friends.

"Her teachers and pastoral staff speak of a quiet and caring young lady who had a most promising future and who was looking forward to achieving a broad suite of qualifications.

"Tonibeth was a lovely girl and a valued member of our school community. There is a very palpable sense of loss at school this morning."

On Twitter, friends expressed their shock at the death of the two teenagers.

One user, @shannon97xxxxxx wrote: "cant get over whats happened, rip toni beth and chloe fowlerx."

Another, @laurenlsmithx, said: "Rest in peace Toni-Beth Purvis and Chloe Fowler, rest in peace angels, you will both be such a big miss."

:: The body of man in his 20s was pulled from Thirlmere Reservoir in Keswick, Cumbria, on Wednesday afternoon after reports of two people in distress. A woman was rescued by emergency services.

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Nadine Dorries MP Repays £3,000 In Expenses

Nadine Dorries has repaid £3,000 in travel expenses, according to the Parliamentary watchdog.

The MP accepted the travel claims were "wrongfully made and should not have been allowed", said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa).

Ms Dorries told Ipsa that the claims for journeys between Westminster and her Mid Bedfordshire constituency were made for family reasons, meaning they were not allowed under the expenses scheme.

Other complaints about an increase in claims for utility bills were dismissed by Ipsa.

The MP had also made no deliberate attempt to profit from her expenses, said the watchdog's report.

An Ipsa spokesman said: "MPs have a responsibility to ensure that any expenses claims they make are for parliamentary purposes.

"As part of the regular review of all MPs' claims, Ipsa's internal assurance function found that Nadine Dorries MP's pattern of travel and accommodation claims were unusual, and were referred to the compliance officer for investigation.

He added: "The compliance officer has found that claims made by Ms Dorries were outside the scheme, and that these claims should be repaid. Ms Dorries has subsequently repaid these claims."

Last month, the MP said she was going to stop claiming expenses and instead fund her role through her salary.

It means Ms Dorries will give up the right to claim back the cost of council tax and utilities on running a second home in Westminster.

She also vowed to no longer recoup the cost of travelling between her constituency and London.

The MP - who was suspended from the Conservative Parliamentary Party after appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! - responded to the Ipsa report on her blog.

"Throughout the report he [the compliance officer] stressed that I have at no time sought to benefit from the scheme," stressed Ms Dorries.

"Expenses need to be scrapped in their entirety," she added.

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George: Royal Baby's Name Is Revealed

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their baby son George Alexander Louis, Kensington Palace has said.

More follows...

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